5 Important D2C Lessons From Running a Premium T-Shirt Brand in India

When Baliza.in began in 2023, it wasn’t just another online T-shirt brand. It was a dream stitched into 100% cotton.

A dream of simple, premium round-neck tees.
Eight colors. Six sizes.
A collection of 48 SKUs that felt like a small wardrobe revolution.

The vision was clear:
“Let’s build the perfect everyday T-shirt for India.”

And for two years-from 2023 to July 2025-it worked. People loved the product. Reviews were warm. Sales crossed 2000+ units.

But behind the scenes, the journey was far from smooth. Baliza wasn’t just building a brand; it was learning some of the hardest truths of the D2C world.

Here’s what the journey taught us.

1. The Cost of Getting a Customer Is the First Big Reality Check

In the early days, we imagined a world where great products automatically attract buyers.

But reality walked in with a polite tap on the shoulder and said:
“Pay Meta and Google first.”

Every new customer costs us ₹150-₹200 before they even touch the product.

We tried:

• Better creatives
• Smarter targeting
• Stronger messaging

But in fashion, the market is noisy. To be seen, you must pay. And pay again.

Lesson:
Paid ads are a booster, not a foundation. If your brand has no organic pull, profits become a distant dream.

2. Returns Hurt… But Return Fraud Hurts Even More

Every time a customer returned a product, it stung a little. Fit issues, color mismatch, changed minds - we could understand that.

But then came the darker side of D2C:

• Wrong items returned
• Empty boxes
• Used or damaged products sent back
• Fake complaints

With every fraudulent return, a piece of profitability is chipped away. At the end of the day, nearly 20% of our margins dissolved into return-related chaos.

Lesson:
In India, return policies don’t just improve customer trust - they test a brand’s endurance.

3. Logistics Can Make or Break Trust

We believed in our product. But we had to rely on someone else to deliver it.

And that someone… didn’t always show up.

Packages disappeared. Shipments delayed. Orders marked “delivered” but never reached the customer.

Every lost package wasn’t just a financial loss (2–5% gone quietly). It was a trust loss. A dent in a brand built with care.

Lesson:
Great products need great partners. Without reliable logistics, even your best efforts can feel fragile.

4. Reverse Shipping: The Hidden Monster Under the Bed

Forward shipping was expensive. Reverse shipping was brutal.

Whenever a customer requested a return, the clock started ticking:

• Pickup cost
• Rerouting cost
• QC cost
• Refund or replacement
• And then restocking loss

Each return added 20% extra cost on the product price - sometimes more. One return could wipe out the profit of two good orders.

Lesson:
In apparel, reducing returns is as important as increasing sales.

5. Offering More Options Doesn’t Always Mean Selling More

We were excited to launch 8 colors and 6 sizes. It felt bold. It felt premium. It felt right.

But inventory doesn’t forgive enthusiasm.

Some colors sold out instantly. Others sat quietly on the shelves. XS and XXXL were unpredictable. Forecasting was a gamble.

The wider the catalog grew, the tighter the cashflow became.

Lesson:
Start with focus. Let the market tell you what to scale - not your gut.

The Journey Ends, but the Learnings Stay

Baliza.in wrapped operations in July 2025. Not because the dream failed - but because the dream taught us the truth.

Baliza was more than a brand. It was a classroom.

A place where we learned:

• That D2C is beautiful but difficult
• That customers love quality, but operations demand excellence
• That trust is as fragile as packaging
• Those margins are always under attack
• And that passion alone cannot fight logistics, CAC, and returns

Baliza may have closed its chapter, but the story lives on - in the lessons it left behind.

If you're building a D2C brand in India, these lessons are your compass.